Too Late to Wanted Me Back

After finishing the hospital administration, I hailed a taxi and left Lewis behind, who seemed more preoccupied with his Kate than with me.

My destination was Tobias’ office.

As soon as I arrived, I burst through the door and shouted, “Tell our parents I accept the arranged marriage!”

Tobias looked up from his desk, startled, his confusion quickly turning to alarm as he noticed my arm wrapped in gauze. “Are you… did you try to hurt yourself by cutting your wrist?”

He rushed toward me, gripping my arm and inspecting the gauze with panic in his eyes.

“Of course not,” I snapped. “It’s just a burn. Don’t change the subject, call our parents and tell them I’m ready to go home and get married.”

“You’re serious?” he asked, his tone incredulous. “But what about Lewis?”

I forced a smile, even as bitterness clawed at my throat. “I’ve figured it out. Mom and Dad want me to get married anyway, so does it matter to whom? Besides, I trust their judgment. They’ve probably already vetted the candidate thoroughly.”

Tobias hesitated before speaking. “Do you want to meet him first? Maybe date him a little before getting married?”

“No need,” I replied firmly. “The sooner, the better. Set the date for a month from now.”

Still cautious, Tobias nodded. “Got it.” He gestured to the couch. “Sit for a bit. I’ll let them know. After all, you’ve been out of the house for two years.”

“Do you think they’ll forgive me?” I asked quietly, realizing just how much time had passed since I left home.

Tobias shrugged. “Not only will they forgive you, but they’ll probably celebrate. This marriage strengthens ties with the Livingston family, it’s a big deal.”

I sighed. “I always knew this was about business, but hearing it spelled out still stings.”

Tobias offered a faint smile. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

After wrapping up his work, Tobias drove me back to the Scott Manor.

The moment I stepped through the door, my mother enveloped me in a tight hug.

“Oh, my sweetheart, you’ve finally come home,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

My father, ever stern, simply said, “Let’s have lunch and discuss everything.”

Despite my initial apprehension, the discussion went smoother than I expected.

As Tobias had predicted, my parents were thrilled. They immediately began planning to take me to a banquet to introduce me formally to the other businesses family and of course the Livingston family.

By the time lunch ended, I was exhausted from the endless conversations about arrangements, expectations, and schedules.

I retreated to my old bedroom. It was still untouched since I left, so its princess-like decor feeling strangely foreign at that moment.

It was not long before my phone rang. Seeing Lewis’ name on the screen, I hesitated before answering.

“Have you come home?” he asked.

“Hm.”

“I’m sorry, Grace,” he began. “I planned to come back for you right after taking Katrina home, but her stomach started acting up, so….”

Before he could finish, a waitress’ voice came through the background. “Sir, your dishes are all served. Please enjoy your meal!”

Though Lewis quickly muffled the receiver, it was too late, I had already heard everything.

“It’s fine. I’m an adult now; I can manage myself,” I replied, both to reassure him and myself.

“Grace, I’ll come to the penthouse,” he said hurriedly. “I’ll explain everything later.”

Explain what? More excuses? More lies?

I ended the call without a word, muttering to myself, “Unfortunately, I’m not in the penthouse anymore.”

Later that evening, I called Tobias, who had returned to the penthouse. “Did Lewis come looking for me?”

“Nope. It’s just me and my freedom now that you’re gone,” he joked.

“Great,” I replied, laughing weakly. “You can finally bring back all your usual women.”

“Ha, very funny,” Tobias shot back, but I hung up before he could nag me further.

Feeling restless, I stepped onto the balcony and scrolled through Instagram.

My heart sank when I came across a new post featuring Katrina and Lewis.

It was a photo of a beautiful bouquet with a man’s silhouette behind it. Though his face was not visible, I recognized Lewis immediately.

What enraged me more was the caption, [After fifteen years, I return to you. And here, the flower blooms, a welcome in all its glory.]

Disgusted, I shut my phone and forced myself to focus on my college assignments.

The next day, fate dealt me another cruel hand. As I excused myself during lunch with my college friends, I bumped into Katrina on my way to the restroom.

She greeted me with a warm smile, her voice syrupy sweet. “Didn’t expect to see you here, little sister. Lewis and I just came from the playground where we used to play as kids.

“But then we got hungry, so I stopped by this restaurant near his campus.”

Her words, though innocent on the surface, dripped with an undercurrent of triumph. Fate was not just cruel, it was merciless.

I gave her a polite smile and was about to leave, not considering our relationship close enough for small talk.

But she did not seem to feel the same. Just as I turned to go, her voice stopped me again.

“Anyway, you go to Lewis’s campus too, huh? But have you guys ever eaten together there?”

The word also made me pause.

The truth was, we never had. Lewis had always avoided it.

He once said that eating together on campus might risk running into his old friends, which could complicate our relationship.

So instead, we would always eat at restaurants far away.

Even then, I remembered the day we accidentally ran into Lewis’s friends at an arcade.

He had waved it off, telling them he was just accompanying his friend’s younger sister to win a prize from the claw machine.

That moment had stung deeply, but I had tried to understand. I thought perhaps it was just a way to keep our private relationship safe.

But then, as I stood there with Katrina, the truth burned painfully in my chest. He did not care about the secrecy itself; he was embarrassed about me.

Because when it came to Katrina, there were no excuses, no evasions, and certainly no concern about being seen together.

He was not even afraid of being caught by me. He did not care.